Wednesday, July 15, 2009

WATERCOLOR BATIK WORKSHOP - Day #1

I had enrolled in a watercolor batik class a while back and the day was finally here. The first day in class was spent getting familiar with the supplies. Many of us paint, but never using melted paraffin, blowers and irons. The class took place at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden; just walking in to the garden makes you want to paint. Our instructor, Lynda Wellens, welcomed us with a board with samples of the process, step-by-step. Right away I felt that, at least, I could refer to that board and be able to follow. We were given rice paper and were shown how to cut it. This paper is way more delicate than a 300 lb one, but it is so beautiful and with lots of texture. I immediately loved the way the colors show on this paper. We were also given our individual containers with hot, melted paraffin. For this class, we brought inexpensive brushes to dip in the wax. Each of us received a beautiful color picture and drawing of a bird named Nazca Booby. I was in my element. I love to paint tropical birds and the ocean. We sketched the bird and started with what would be the batik process. We started saving the white of the paper with the melted wax and letting it dry. After many washes of colors, blow drying, followed with layers of wax to protect the various mid tones and areas, we had a finished sample. Of course, we were not quite finished, we now had to remove all of the layers of wax and reval our creations. This is where the iron and newspapers came into play. We were all amazed at our final results. This was only a sample of what is to come. We will be bringing our own photographs and go through the process on the second day. We should be able to manipulate the materials better; having done the sample on the first day. We will also be working with other tools to add more interest and textures. I can't wait.

Contrado.UK

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The subjects of my paintings are varied, but they all reflect Florida living: vibrant colors, gorgeous seascapes, luscious fruits, tropical birds, exotic blooms, great light and awesome shadows. I find it challenging and exciting to see how the colors come together to capture these images.
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